Oct 29, 2009

If you have no kids then please listen up to this valuable advice. If you want to buy a gift for someone's kid and you want to maintain a happy relationship with that person then never buy musical toys. Mr. Giraffe might not make it through the day. Just wanted to share and help preserve long lasting friendships or family bonds.

Oct 26, 2009

Getting the H1N1 vaccination has been the talk of the nation as well as the #1 subject in the Ismail household. We have been debating over and over about what to do. Many years ago when Dwayne worked in a big corporation (and the economy was stable) the company paid for all employees to get a traditional flu shot. Dwayne got his and ended up with the flu a couple weeks later. I think this had made me feel negatively about the flu shot as far as the fact that there is no guarantee you will not get sick. It's simply a preventative measure. Now with this newer strain of flu in the air we all have to make decisions on how we will handle things for our families. We did so much research and watched at least a dozen documentaries and still it seems like a tough choice as to what we should do.

Our kids' schools are offering the vaccine free of charge to the student body on a first come first served basis. We have declined. As a family we have decided to take some alternative precautions. We are all thankfully in optimal health so we are taking vitamin D and C supplements as well as incorporating some healthy food choices full of these vitamins as well. That accompanied by good hand washing and getting ample rest and exercise will hopefully keep us healthy. If we do get ill we will immediately report to the doctor and not try to wait it out. This was such a hard decision for us and I really hope it was the right one. It's one of those damned if you do, damned if you don't scenarios.

What about you? Did you get either the flu shot or H1N1 shot? Have you had the swine flu or any of your family members? I wonder if our President got one.

Oct 23, 2009

I snapped some photos of Hurricane Willie in the act of being naughty. He should NOT be standing on this trunk. See the blanket on the floor? It's Milo's (our chihuahua) and Will moves it so he can stand on Milo's trunk. Yes our dog has a trunk at the front window. He likes to see the goings on in the neighborhood, don't judge!

Look at that devilish little grin.

He always smiles AFTER the act of mischief. Dwayne does the same thing. Bad tail.

He gets a kick out of sitting on the fireplace. It's a little scary and Dwayne actually thinks we will still be able to burn fires this winter, yeah okay.

Oct 22, 2009

**Contest Closed**The winner is Doreen! Congratulations and thank you to all participants.

We were so lucky to get a fantastic Movie Moments prize pack in the mail from MyBlogSpark and General Mills. We received 4 e-movie cash certificates ($12 each) and one (1) free coupon (up to $6 value) for a General Mills cereal. My girls are thrilled and are holding out on the newest movie from the Twilight films to come out. I know the husband has other movie ideas...action, animation, superheroes...the typical manly man kind of stuff :)

Starting in November, you can receive a free movie ticket when you purchase two specially marked packages of General Mills’ Cereals. After purchasing two cereals, visit generalmills.com/moviecash to enter the code found inside each box of cereal and print your free movie certificate good for admission to any movie. It is so expensive to go to the movies so this is a great way to do it for free! The participating brands of cereal include select sizes of: Honey Nut Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Lucky Charms, Trix and Reese’s Peanut Butter Puffs. We are big Lucky Charms people so we will use our coupon for a big box of it! Of course I will clip my Box Tops for Education coupons to donate to the schools.____________________________________________Giveaway: Wouldn't you just LOVE to win a Movie Moments prize pack for your family? MyBlogSpark is offering one lucky Momfiles reader the chance to win one!

Here's how to enter: Mandatory- Leave a comment sharing your favorite movie moments. Comments that say "thank you" or "count me in" will be deleted. Want an additional entry? (You must complete the above method to qualify for extra entries)

Oct 21, 2009

Welcome to this week's 'throwback' edition of Vent Day Wednesday. We decided to put this video up since we have acquired a new audience of VDW viewers who may have never seen this one. Also this video will make my last post make sense. If you are a fan of watching the black Archie Bunker laugh himself to tears then this is the one to watch. Don't forget to leave your vents in the comments!

Oct 20, 2009

If you have been a long-time Vent Day watcher then you will know exactly why I titled this post like I did. For those who have no clue these would be my junk drawers that Dwayne gets annoyed with. I say they are chock full of great little things that you might need some day. It beats having a big office downstairs filled with boxes of....well I don't know exactly. Tell me, don't we all have at least one drawer in our home that resembles this?

Oct 19, 2009

I am sure most of you are aware that it is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I don't think I know of a single person that has not been affected by this awful disease in some way. Whether it is a friend, family member or even someone you don't know personally we all are touched in some way.There is an amazing online community on MySpace where those touched by breast cancer can connect and provide support, comfort, and encouragement to one another. It is called Pink Together®.Pink Together®, a national campaign to support those impacted by breast cancer and to help raise awareness of the disease. To support Pink Together, General Mills is donating $2 million to Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and is turning the packaging pink next month on an assortment of its most beloved brands. General Mills will also donate $1, up to $20,000, each time you post a comment of encouragement, send a virtual flower bouquet or share a story on PinkTogether.com in October. I would encourage you to read a few of the stories on this site. I sent a few virtual flowers as well as left encouraging comments to uplift family members and friends.

In the Ismail house we have been purchasing as many of our food products packaged in pink to show support. We always donate to a team that does the Cancer Walk each year. We also collect the Yoplait Yogurt lids (the pink ones) and mail them in. Yoplait donates 10 cents per lid and lids must be received before 12/31/09. It's a small way to give especially in a tough economy. Remember that every little bit counts!

I was fortunate to receive a beautiful Inspiring Hope gift basket from MyBlogSpark. The Inspiring Hope gift basket includes a sleeved travel mug, a running ribbon charm bracelet, a pink leather strap keychain, a pink cinch bag, and a set of inspirational note cards (retail value of $59) It is a beautiful gift and the quality is really great. All of the gift basket items are from ShopKomen.com, where 25 percent of the merchandise purchase price benefits Susan G. Komen for the Cure® in the fight against breast cancer.MyBlogSpark has graciously offered for one lucky Momfiles reader to win this Inspiring Hope gift basket. Here's how to enter:

Mandatory- Leave a comment that is relevant to this post. Comments that say "thank you" or "count me in" will be deleted. Want an additional entry? (You must complete the above method to qualify for extra entries)

-- Facebook this giveaway, and please leave a separate comment/link for each entry to count. (one per day)

--Follow me on Twitter @momfiles or friend me on Facebook (Sheliza Ismail) (leave a comment with a link) If you already follow let me know.

--You can also place our button on your blog or follow us (please leave a blog link in your comment or specify if you are a new or current follower).

Be sure to have a visible email address in your comment if you do not have a Blogger profile. Giveaway is open to US residents only. Deadline to enter is November 1, 2009 at 11:59 pm EST. Good luck! Special thanks to MyBlogSpark for sponsoring the prize pack for the giveaway.Information provided by Pink Together.com

Oct 17, 2009

Since the weather reports said that we would have clouds and cool weather I decided to make a nice big pot of soup. It is full of yummy beans, corn, turnip greens, sweet potatoes, carrots, chicken and crab legs. Watch out now Bobby Flay!!

Oct 13, 2009

This morning I was washing up some chicken wings and preparing to season them up to cook for dinner. I still had to decide how I wanted to cook them. Do I want to broil, barbecue, bake or fry? After about 10 minutes I decided to fry them since I only fry 2-3 times per year. I just don't like what the house smells like when I fry so normally if we eat fried foods it is when we eat out. So I season these big wings to perfection and I pull out the old Fry Daddy and proceed to pour in the oil. This is where we run into a problem. I only had enough Canola oil to fill the deep fryer half way to the fill line. I became annoyed at this point. I glanced over on my counter and saw my bottle of extra-virgin olive oil. I have heard of people using olive oil for deep frying but never really considered doing it myself. My mind was so set on fried chicken so I grabbed the olive oil and poured it into the fryer. I lightly coated the wings with some flour and dropped the first few pieces in. I was so impressed with how they cooked up perfectly golden brown and crispy. The true test was the taste. They were perfect. Not greasy at all and quite frankly even better than if I used 100% Canola oil! I just had to snap a photo. Don't they look delicious?

Oct 12, 2009

I was perusing through the baby aisle today and was checking out all the neat gadgets and cool things they make for babies/toddlers today. There is something for everything, it's really amazing. I was looking at a few things that I have/had for William that technically we could have easily lived without...baby wipes warmer, bottle warmer with cooler attached, infant swing, crib toys and the list goes on. Funny thing is we barely even used that stuff or used them for a very short time! I am considering doing the EBay thing as I have seen a lot of parents do. I guess the idea of all the time it will take to gather, inventory, photograph and list it all makes me not want to do it. I have a whole storage closet under the stairs downstairs filled with baby stuff. Why do I keep it?? I feel like I am not quite ready to part with certain things.

**on another note...I wanted to welcome Tanyetta back to the blog world!

Oct 11, 2009

I am sitting in my office at the computer and feeling a subtle cool breeze sweep across my legs and the backs of my arms. I just love it. Fall. It is so nice to open up the windows and let some cool, fresh air in. It's so nice to drive down the road and have leaves come down over your windshield as if they were raindrops or snowflakes. This truly is my favorite time of year. Of course living in South Carolina means you are still subject to a few more Summer-like days before the true Autumn air settles in for a while. I put my Fall tablecloth on the dining table and I will go to the store to buy a scarecrow for my front yard. We will take William to the pumpkin patch of course and it is going to be an adventure this year. With all of his running and climbing he will really get to enjoy the experience this time around.

Oct 7, 2009

**Contest Closed**Winner is Mochadad. Thanks to all for participating!

I recently wrote about the upcoming live show Yo Gabba Gabba! Live: There's a party in my city I wanted to share some exciting news with all you Gabba fans. There are new episodes of Yo Gabba Gabba premiering Monday, Oct. 12 – Friday, Oct. 16 at 1:00 p.m. (ET) on *Nick Jr (*formerly named NOGGIN). If you are a big fan then I know you are excited about new episodes! Here's a sneak peek of Adam Samberg's dancey dance:

Los Angeles, CA Shrine Expo Hall Saturday, November 14, 2009 11AM and 3PMNew York, NY Beacon Theatre Saturday, November 21, 2009 11AM and 2PMChicago, IL Rosemont Theatre Saturday, December 5, 2009 11AM and 3PM**New dates and times include the Shrine Expo Hall in Los Angeles on Sunday, November 15 at 11am and 3pm and in New York, the Beacon Theatre on Saturday, November 21 at 5 pm. **Tickets are available at Ticketmaster

Here's another great thing, fans have another reason to “get the sillies out” and “go crazy” in living rooms nationwide with the first Yo Gabba Gabba! MUSIC IS AWESOME! CD hits shelves nationwide on October 20, 2009.

Features the Yo Gabba Gabba! signature mix of eclectic musical genres that will keep parents, preschoolers and fans on their feet throughout the generous 21-song set. We are so excited about this CD since our whole family likes to get our dancey dance on~! Some songs on this CD are: -Party In My Tummy -Get The Sillies Out -Nice & Easy -Goodbye Song and many more! My daughters have already asked about MP3 downloads! MUSIC IS AWESOME! will be available on CD at Target, Toys R Us, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, Borders, and independent music retailers nationwide. You can also pre-order here.

We want to share the gift of Gabba by giving away 1 of the Yo Gabba Gabba! Music is Awesome CD to one lucky reader! Here's how to enter:

Mandatory- Leave a comment telling us what your favorite Yo Gabba Gabba! song is or who your favorite character is on the show. Comments that say "thank you" or "count me in" will be deleted. Want an additional entry? (You must complete the above method to qualify for extra entries)

--You can Twitter this giveaway (one per day) and leave me a link to your Tweet. Example: Win a Yo Gabba Gabba! Music is Awesome! CD @momfiles http://bit.ly/1ljj0z

-- Facebook this giveaway, and please leave a separate comment/link for each entry to count. (one per day)

--Follow me on Twitter or friend me on Facebook (leave a comment with a link) If you already follow let me know.

--You can also place our button on your blog or follow us (please leave a blog link in your comment or specify if you are a new or current follower).

Be sure to have a visible email address in your comment if you do not have a Blogger profile. Giveaway is open to US residents only. Deadline to enter is October 20, 2009 at 11:59 pm EST. Good luck! Special thanks to W!LDBRAIN for sponsoring this great giveaway!

Now don't be mad at us. We are taking a break this week from Vent Day. It's been a hectic week so we are trying to not get too overwhelmed with everything. We promise to be back next week.

Believe me, there are a lot of things things to vent about dealing with your boy "Ismail the Great" aka "The black Archie Bunker". You can still leave us your vents in the comments and feel free to watch the VDW archives. We will see you next week!!

Oct 4, 2009

I spent the weekend doing a whole lot of random things that thankfully kept me close to my family. I was so glad to see everyone in one place all at the same time! The girls schedules are so hectic with school, volleyball practice (5-7 days a week), volleyball games and homework. Some nights Chardie does not get home until 10:00 and has to be to her early bird class at 7:30 am. With all of that I am proud that both girls are maintaining their grades (A's) and still try to keep up with their responsibilities at home. I really do miss them a lot.

We spent Saturday at a tournament for Brie and Sunday we did some 'girls only' shopping. I bought myself a whole entire set of makeup and will be throwing away all of the stuff I currently own. This is my first step to trying to take more time out to take care of myself. Next step is a new haircut. I am playing around with a few ideas. I am thinking long sexy layers. Then again, maybe a choppy short cut? I have to find a photo and then go from there. I have been searching online but the problem I have is that all the cute styles I like look better if you have blond or highlighted hair. I will not ever color my hair so whatever it ends up being will have to look good in jet black with a few gray streaks. I intend to let my gray grow in since my husband thinks I will look like one of those hot older chicks. He is so full of it! haha!

Oct 2, 2009

Today I received a random letter in the mail that was addressed from one of the elementary schools in our school district. I was not sure what it was about since neither of my girls have ever been to that school. It turned out to be an invitation to join a free playgroup once a week for William at a local church that happens to be located directly across from Briahnna's middle school. They offer story time, art & music, rhymes & finger play and free play. It is at the perfect time too, 10:30-11:30 which fits in before nap time. I am going to sign up and maybe it will help William be a bit more social. The great part is if it does not work out after a few times we had nothing to lose. I will let you all know how it works out. I look forward to meeting other parents with little ones Will's age in my area. I think it will be fun for the grown-ups as well.If you a toddler aged child did you attend any playgroups? What was your experience with it?

Oct 1, 2009

If you have been a reader of Momfiles for a while then you would know that my family is a big fan of the show Yo Gabba Gabba! Well I found out that the show is hitting the stage LIVE on its first ever U.S. tour! Whoo hoo!! Their first stop in in Los Angeles with more shows to follow. Although there will not be a show in a city near my home I wanted to share this information with my readers all over the U.S. Also you can get Gabba info by subscribing to Gabba mail at the website.

The show will feature DJ Lance Rock, and everyone’s favorite cast of characters– Brobee (the little green one), Foofa (the pink flower bubble), Muno (the red Cyclops), Plex (the magic robot), and Toodee (the blue cat-dragon) as well as lots of surprise guests. The tour comes on the heels of the first YO GABBA GABBA! CD release YO GABBA GABBA! MUSIC IS AWESOME, hitting the shelves nationwide on October 20.

Tickets will be available to American Express Cardmembers from Wednesday, September 30, at 9 AM through Thursday October 8 at 9PM. There will also be a special pre-sale for Gabba Mail members on Tuesday, October 6th at 10AM EDT. The public on-sale will begin October 9 at 10AM. Tickets will be available via Ticketmaster.com and YoGabbaGabba.com.

A one-of-a-kind live event, YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE: THERE’S A PARTY IN MY CITY will feature music, animation, games, singing, dancing, and special musical guests. Favorites such as “Party in My Tummy” “Hold Still” and “Get the Sillies Out” will be featured in the show. Special guests will also join the party on stage rocking their favorite ‘Dancey Dance’ moves. Presented using state of the art production elements, YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE: THERE’S A PARTY IN MY CITY will offer audience members of all ages an unparalleled experience.

YO GABBA GABBA! premiered on Nick Jr. in August, 2007. Since its debut it has garnered extensive critical acclaim including being hailed as one of the best new television series of 2007 by TIME magazine, winning the BAFTA for International Children’s Programming in 2008 and in 2009 it won the award for best children’s programming from the Television Critics Association. Currently the number one show in its time period among kids 2-5, YO GABBA GABBA! has also captured a broad appeal among parents, teens and adults who love the program with its contemporary musical appeal and retro feel. The hit show has featured a variety guest stars like Jack Black, Rachel Dratch, Jimmy Eat World, Melora Hardin, Jack McBrayer, Andy Samberg, Amy Sedaris, Amare Stoudemire, Tony Hawk, Elijah Wood and popular bands Sugarland, The Ting Tings, The Shins, MGMT and The Roots.